Lightning Elemental Pilsner

Brewed by Lightning Brewery
Style: Pilsener
Poway, California USA

Serve in Flute, Footed Pilsner

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Pours light gold from the bomber with a decent white head. Aroma is light dough and subtle hops. Flavor is more on the sweet side, as it tastes like a light tripel. A bit of lemon zest does not help and the Saaz hops are hardly noticeable. Not very good.

22oz bottle from my buddy paul in SD.....pours a golden hazy orange brown, almost IPA like, with a considerable white soapy head....interesting aroma of almost resembling a saison. citrus and sweet tropical fruit, mustiness, and a sweet tartish nose.... flavors aren’t as vibrant but some of the same notes are present, however dumbdowned. some added spice and yeastiiness as well. high in carbonation with a dry finish.

Taster at the brewery in Poway. Pours a clear, yellow-gold body with a thin, foamy, white head that dissipates quickly and leaves a light lacing. Aroma is pils and bread malts, some straw hops, and a bit of citrus. Flavor is pretty nice. Lots of straw hops for a pils with a sweet, mellow fruitiness throughout. Bready with a touch of yeast. Finishes dry with a light straw aftertaste. Palate is light bodied and crisp. Overall, not a bad pils at all. Sweet with enough hops to balance it out.

Despite the low ratebeer score, I had high hopes for this. Bottle. Poured a ruddy yellow with a white head. Aroma of sweet malt, grass, BO, apples and bread. As I sat drinking it, I realized this was definitely the wrong time of year to enjoy this. Summer would have been more appropriate. There was a weird, lingering and appleish after taste. Decent bitterness in the finish. Flavor was a bit hit or miss overall, but I still enjoyed it, although not as much as I had hoped.

On tap @ Ham’s. Pours a pale straw yellow with a good sized white head. Nose of German yeast and hops, with hints of sour citrus. I like the fact that lightning isn’t following the standard San Diego BIG, Giant, Beer trend. Congrats for being different.

02-Feb-08 (22-oz bottle: Purchased 01-Feb-08 for $4.79 at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA) I’ve been trying the various Lightning beers on tap for awhile now, but this is the first one I’ve tried from the bottle. Pouring this pilsener, the appearance leaves a lot to be desired. Yes, the golden-colored body is beautifully clear, but only the occasional carbonation bubble can be seen rising upward toward the top, and the white head is thin, filmy and very short-lived, quickly dissipating to a thin ring. The beer smells grainy and honey-sweet with not a lot of hop aroma unless the glass is vigorously swirled, which then produces modest floral hop aromas that still lag behind the sweet graininess. The nose leads perfectly into the flavor. First thought: wow, this is tasting really sweet for a pilsener! Sweet, honey-almond-like graininess really dominates, and the light but very floral hops seem to only magnify the sweetness. Very light bitterness does little to balance the beer’s flavor, and the mouthfeel really suffers for it. Medium in body, cloyingly sweet, and lacking crispness, it sits on the palate like a dead weight. Consequently, after less than half the bottle, this has become a chore to keep drinking. More aggressive carbonation might help, but it’s only medium on the palate. I recall liking this beer a little more on draft, but in the bottle, I can’t say I’ve enjoyed it and it’s not worth almost $5.00. At the very least, cut back on the sweetness and add more crisp hoppiness.

Lemons, yeast and spice in the aroma, a little different for a Pilsener. The appearance is yellow-gold. The flavor is of bread, grains, a bit earthy and slightly sweet. Not bad but not great.

22 oz. bottle - Pours a slightly hazy light golden color with a 2/3 finger thick white head. Aroma is spicey herbal hops and grain hiding in the back. Lots of fine lacing. The flavor is very hop forward and not too sweet. The hops even linger on the palate a bit. Light to medium body. Dry finish. A nice Pils.

UPDATED: JUL 2, 2009 22 oz bottle purchased at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, California. Pour is hazed golden yellow with a frothy and lasting 2 inch pure white head. Nice sheets of lacing. Aroma of fresh bready, toasty grainy malt with some light floral earthy hops. Taste is the bready malt, though it has some earthy, almost dirty chemical edge to it which isn’t that nice. The floral hops are present, especially in the finish which has a straw grass bitterness. Very herbal. Palate is light to medium, with a long dry, even dusty, somewhat bitter finish.

On tap @ Hamilton’s in San Diego. Nice 10 karat brew with a 1/2 inch dense white head. This one is refreshing...nicely carbonated and has a slightly sweet backbone. A very good pilsner that I would gladly drink again.